Group North

La Union - A.Espanola 80-67La Union had an easy job against Asociacion Espanola staying on top of Group North, together with Union (10-2 record). Wendell Gibson top-scored for the winning squad with 20 points. He also had 6 rebounds beside that. Zachary Williams answered with 23 pts and also 6 rebs for the loosing side (4-8).

Alma Juniors - San Mart.C. 84-786-6 for Alma Juniors and 7-5 for San Martin C. after this game. Matias Tomaitis was a key player for the winning squad delivering 32 points. Alex Carcamo contributed with double-double in loss, 16 points and 10 boards.

Obera TC - Union 72-101As it was expected, Union didn't have to work very hard in order to beat Obera and to stay on top of the standings with 10-2 score. Gaston Luchino was totally the best player for the winners draining 27 points (7 of 7 from beyond the arc). Jose Fabio had 21 points and 10 rebs in Obera (3-9).

Group South

Belgrano SN - GimnasiaLP 93-81With this win Belgrano kept the top of Group South with 8-4 score. Gimnasia LP stayed at the bottom with 4-8. Jamal Johnson stepped up for the hosts with impressive 36 points and 7 rebounds. Emiliano Agostino had 21 pts in defeat.

Argentino - Firmat SF 62-64Tiny but very important road victory for Firmat. Both teams are one the same 6-6 record now. Nicolas Bessone came up with 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winning side. Jamahr Warren nailed 16 pts in loss.

P.Echague - San Mart.MJ 84-69It was a game between two teams with 6-5 score after 11 games. Williard Ford was central figure for the hosts collecting 19 points and 5 rebounds. San Martin MJ got 21 points from Ije Nwankwo.

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BAHRAIN

Bahrain Gears up for Gulf Cup - by Walter NetoBAHRAIN basketball coach Walter Pereira has praised the national squad for their 'wonderful team chemistry' and tireless work ethic as they prepare to represent the kingdom in next month's 19th Gulf Cup. The nationals have been practising daily since late November under Pereira at the Um Al Hassam sports complex, and the Brazilian national is excited of the team's potential heading into the prestigious regional competition, to be held in Oman.

Five of the six GCC countries are taking part. Saudi Arabia have withdrawn. The top four teams qualify for the Fiba Asia Championship for Men, to be held in China in August next year. 'Everybody has embraced our objectives, especially in qualifying for Asia, and we are focused on getting the job done,' Pereira told the GDN last night.

'We're not promising we'll get wins, but what we will do is go out and play a good brand of basketball and work hard. We're all on the same page and we have absolutely wonderful team chemistry right now.'Pereira gave the players the last two days off so they may spend the Eid holidays with their families, but they get back to work tonight. The team will then travel to Istanbul on December 19 for a 10-day training camp, during which they will play a few local clubs in friendly games as part of tuning up for the Gulf Cup.

'Our practices have been going very well so far,' Pereira said. 'The overall ability of our players is very promising, and we're striving every day and focusing a lot on our defence, boxing out, team work, etc. 'This coming week, we'll be looking to polish up on all these things before going to Turkey.'

Pereira has named a strong squad of 18 players for the national team's training pool. The roster will be reduced to 14 for the Istanbul camp, and then cut further to just 12 for the final line-up that will compete in Oman.

The nationals are bannered by star big man Ahmed Al Mutawa, and include a healthy mix of stanch veterans and quick, fearless youngsters, some of whom will be representing Bahrain for the first time. 'I like the group of players coach Walter has chosen to represent Bahrain,' Mutawa was quoted as saying. 'I have worked with him before and I think his style and philosophies on how to play the game are going to be very helpful in making us a stronger team.'

Bahrain, although already featuring an improved national team line-up, will still be overshadowed in the Gulf Cup by defending champions the UAE, and favourites Qatar. 'I think every team has a chance to win, but of course I play to win and I came to Bahrain to help the team win,' Mutawa said. 'If we play hard and execute our plays, our chances are very good. Our team is young and small, but we are quick and everybody can shoot, so our goal is to work with what we have and come back with the cup.'

It was a fifth victory in a row for Estonian team and moved them to 2nd place in BBL Elite Division standings. Nate Fox (206-F-77, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Maine) led Kalev/Cramo with 28 points and 8 rbs.

The hosts led from the very first minute when Kevin Lyde (206-C-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Temple) and Gregor Arbet made it 4:0. Siauliai had no answer to hosts offence as Kalev led 17:9 with 5:20 played. Gediminas Maceina (188-G-84) had made 5 turnovers, already, three of them were forced by Elite Division leading stealer John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence). Altogether, Siauliai made 11 (!!!) turnovers in 1st quarter.

Kalev/Cramo led 27:15 after 1st quarter, Nate Fox had scored as many points as the whole team of Siauliai. Kalev/Cramo had made 22 shots, Siauliai only 8.

A 10:0 run in 2nd qrt put the hosts up 37:20. Kalev then missed 6 shots in a row and the guests climbed closer 37:26 but then Kalev silenced the opponents again, wining the first half 41:26. Fox had 15, Lyde 11 points. After the halftime break, Siauliai had re-borned. Their zone defence made the hosts toothless. Andrius Slezas (200-F-75) and Virginijus Praskevicius (206-C/F-74) combined 6 three-pointers (the guests scored 7 triples in whole game) and Siauliai came from minus-17 to minus-3. Kalev led 62:59 with 10 minutes to play.

4th quarter was a time for revenge as Kalev made a 18:0 run in seven minutes and came away with a firm victory.

Besides Fox, Kalev had outstanding performance from Kevin Lyde (19 pts) and John Linehan (6 pts, 8 ast, and 8 steals!). Andrius Slezas led Siauliai with 19 pts but the whole team made 25 turnovers.<<>><<>>

Baltic-League Round: 14 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News

Group ChallengeCup

Zemgale - Sakalai 86-109Sakalai consolidated their position on top of Challenge Cup Group A as they stunned Zemgale on the road. Vilmantas Dilys exploded with 28 points for Sakalai. Arvydas Siksnius added 16 points for the winners. Ilmars Bergmanis answered with 16 points for Zemgale as they fell at 4-6 record.

Valga Welg - Tallinna Kalev 67-74Tallinna Kalev surprised Valga Welg on the road for the fourth victory in the tournament. Paul Butorac stepped up with 15 points in 15 minutes on the court to lead Kalev. Erki Kivinukk added 13 points for the winning side. Veljo Vares answered with 20 points in the defeat.

Suduva - Liepaja 72-69Suduva imrpoved at 5-5 record as they narrowly defeated Liepaja Lauvas at home court. Marius Runkauskas scored 4 points in the final minute of the encounter to ensure a tough win for Suduva. Ugis Vilums nailed 19 points for Liepajas Lauvas.

Group Elite Group

Lietuvos - Valmiera 101-79Lietuvos Rytas registered the eighth win in the Elite Division season as they cruised past Valmiera in Vilnius. Marijonas Petravicius knocked down 30 points to lead the way for the hosts. Justas Sinica contributed 17 points for the Lithuanian powerhouse. Ronald Clark responded with 24 points and 10 boards for Valmiera. Ingus Bankevics had 16 points in the loss.

Nevezis - Zalgiris 61-63Zalgiris overcame a 7-point halftime deficit to narrowly defeat Nevezis. Loren Woods and Dainius Salenga were perfect from the stripe in the crunch time to win the game for Zalgiris. Dainius Salenga and Loren Woods finished the game with 15 points each for the winners. Tadas Kilmavicius added 9 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Aidas Viskontas responded with 14 points for Nevezis as they suffered the eighth loss in the season.

ASK Riga - TU/Rock 85-72ASK Riga jumped to the second spot in the standings as they defeated TU/Rock in Latvia. Sandis Valters poured in 23 points and collected 7 boards to lead the Riga outfit. Bruno Sundov added 14 points for the winning team. Tanoka Beard replied with 18 points for TU/Rock as they fell at 4-6 record.

Kalev/Cramo - Siauliai 84-66Kalev/Cramo found the right rhythm in the Elite Division as they accounted for the sixth win. Kalev defeated Siauliai in Tallinn and improved at 6-4 record. Nate Fox exploded with 28 points and 8 boards to lead the way for the hosts. Kevin Lyde added 19 points for the winners. Andrius Slezas replied with 19 points for Siauliai in defeat.

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BARBADOS

Garrison do double behind MVP Maloney - by Justin MarvilleJUSTIN MALONEY used the defining performance of his career to put the cap on a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award-winning season.

The resolute Garrison Secondary point guard scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as the League champs did the double by outlasting rivals Start De Town St Michael School 66-58 in the United Insurance Schools Basketball Pearson Griffith Challenge Trophy Final on Wednesday.

Playing at the Wildey Gymnasium, Maloney once again proved to be the difference between the long-time adversaries, following up on his game-winning performance in last months League finale.

Entering the fourth quarter with his side holding a narrow 45-44 lead, the unrelenting Garrison floor general swiftly changed the course of the riveting final by leading his side on crucial scoring drives.

Deftly taking each of his individual defenders off the dribble, the resolute Maloney scored on a series of tough floaters, runners and lay-ups after easily making his way into the painted area.

And when he wasnt calling his own number, he found running mate Jodie Williams out in transition for uncontested lay-ups, using an initial 8-2 spurt to ignite a decisive 15-7 run.

Previously subdued by Kevin Jones brilliant man-marking, prolific St Michael forward Darren Hunte threatened to halt the side after hitting a dunk in the open court while adding a subsequent three-pointer inside the final two minutes.

But Huntes late-game theatrics merely reduced the margin of defeat as 6-foot 6-inch centre John Jones scored on three successive possessions from the high post to end the brief rally.

With the fervour of the heated rivalry coming through their passionate fan support, both teams gave nothing away early in the first quarter as bodies hit the floor with increasing regularity.

And after the defensive tussle of that opening period, it was St Michael who struck first, with Hunte sending down a thundering one-handed jam over the equally athletic Williams to start the second.

Trailing 8-6, the highlight play sparked an ensuing 20-9 St Michael run of which Hunte and forward Nicholai White contributed all but two points.

But Hunte was forced to the bench after picking up his third foul and Jones quickly took advantage, erupting for ten second-quarter points to close the gap to 28-22 at the half.

However, St Michael re-opened their double digit advantage on the games resumption, restricting their rivals to just four points in the first 5:45 of the third quarter to take a 40-26 lead.

That lead quickly dissipated as Hunte got himself into further foul trouble, with Garrison scoring eight unanswered points to spur an 18-5 run at the end of the period.

Jones led all scorers on the day with 26 points, Williams added 18 while Hunte top-scored for St Michael with 21 points.

Behind a game-high 22 points from Most Valuable Player Tremaine Shaw, SJPP upended six-time League champs Barbados Community College (BCC) 83-62 on Wednesday to take the United Insurance Schools Basketball Victor Payne Challenge Trophy.

Shaw, like Justin Maloney minutes before him, saved his best for last to break open a close contest at the start of the fourth quarter.

Beginning the period with a nifty pull-back jumper, after going around his back to avoid a defender, the crafty SJPP point guard relentlessly attacked the BCCs defence off the dribble.

Finding forwards Mark Bridgeman and Daniel for easy baskets underneath, Shaw engineered a quick 15-8 run that transformed a marginal 55-49 lead into a substantial 70-57 advantage.

Bridgeman scored ten of his 16 points in that quarter, as Jamar Williams (12), Durant (11), Remar Smith (11) and Shane Rock all scored in double digits for SJPP.

Corey McIntosh: I was always known to be a little guy - by Vladi LazarovaCorey McIntosh (183-G-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Iowa St.)is one of the most attractive new faces in Bulgarian league this season. 23-years old American signed with Evroins Cherno More just 4 months ago, but for short period became a team leader and top scorer of 'The Sailors'. When Corey made 30 or more points, this is not surprising for anybody. It is surprising if he finished with less than this. Bulgarian 'Tema Sport' daily sports newspaper talked with him few days ago. Here is his interview. Corey, one of the 'Interperformances' prospects in Bulgaria, seems to be very interesting interlocutor.

Corey, how did you started playing basketball?- I was ten years old when I first picked up a basketball and it is all because of a good friend of mine (Shawn Knight). I was more into playing video games and riding bikes at that age then I was into playing any sport, but after I picked up basketball, I fell in love with the game and was determined to get better at it! I didnt play any other sports because I felt like basketball was the only sport I needed.Do you have any other athletes in the family?- My cousin Christopher Roberts who lives in New York is the other talent in my family but he doesnt play basketball as much as he used to.When did you realize for the first time, that you are good and you can make basketball your profession?- I realized I had a chance in 2006 during my junior college state championship run. I still had a lot of work to do but there was a little bit of light at the end of the hallway.Tell us about your childhood. Where did you grow up?- I was born in Pasadena, California but I was raised in the city of West Covina. My mother Joan McIntosh raised me and my older brother Ian (34 yrs old) by herself. My childhood was interesting because I was always known to be a little guy (I still am to tell you the truth) but I was very, very small until my junior/senior year of high school. I was about 5 foot 3 inches tall and within about 6 months I was up to about 5 foot 11 inches...and now I am 6 feet. People always told me I was too small and i couldnt do this or that on the basketball court, and till this day I still use that to motivate myself. I went to West Covina High School where i first learned any type of fundamentals to basketball from coach Boston Shima, and then followed that up with more help from Junior College coach Dieter Horton. I thank them for there help.My mother and father along with brother are very proud of me and support everything that I do. They are happy to hear that I am doing well here in Bulgaria and look forward to coming and visiting!What was your major in college and what you think you could do in life if there wasn't basketball?- My major in college was Communications and if I was not playing basketball I would love to be a sports broadcaster.How do you feel in the city of Varna and what was your first thought when you got the offer from Evroins Cherno More? Did you know where was Bulgaria on the map and how your family and friends reacted?- Varna is a very nice city and I feel very comfortable here. When I first received the offer from the club I was very excited and I realized that hard work does pay off... Now I just have to continue to keep working! At first I had no clue to where Bulgaria was on the map but I found out really fast. My parents and friends were extremely happy for me when I signed my contract and had a small party for me. I thank all of my friends that have been there to support me.Bulgarian league is not at a very high level. What are your plans for the future? Do you want to stay, or you prefer to keep on climbing in your career somewhere else and choose more competitive league next summer?- For the future I definitely would like to continue climbing the basketball ladder. I feel like I have much more to prove and the only way to do that is to play against the best players. Whether I stay here in Bulgaria in the future is a mystery right now though... The only thing I can worry about right now is the next practice or game that Cherno More has.Describe one ordinary your day in Varna. What do you like to do, when you have a little time just for you?- Well, my days are kind of similar. Nothing really changes much. Wake up and eat a small breakfast then head to my first practice. After practice I do fitness and then eat again. After I go back to my apartment and sleep for a few hours before my second practice in the afternoon. Then its dinner and back to my place to maybe make some phone calls to my family and friends back in the U.S. nothing too exciting.How you deal with our language?- The language is tough but I know a few words. I know how to say 'Whats up', 'How are you', 'Good, and you', 'Nothing', 'Whats your name' and a few other phrases. How you deal with all your fans in Varna? I mean that not a long time ago the vice-president of the club - Mr Simeon Varchev told to the press: Corey is extremely talented and he will have a great future if he stays away from women and keep on loving basketball with the same power, like now- The fans in Varna are one of the best things about playing here. I can feel their support and energy during the games and I appreciate them. Women are not going anywhere so I focus all of my energy on basketball and the things that I need to do in order to better myself not only on the court but as a person as well.

10 quick questionsFavourite music, song and artists?- I love R&B music, but I do not have a favourite song, I just like artist such as R-Kelly, Bobby Valentino, Omarion etc.Favourite food and drink and can you cook for yourself?- I like pasta and any type of juice. I am a juice man!Favourite movie, actor and actress?- Favourite movie would have to be Bad Boys 2 and my favourite actor is Will Smith.Favourite book, or author?- My favourite author is John Wooden. Favourite TV show?- Fresh Prince and the Cosby Show.Favourite athlete, not only in NBA?- Chad JohnsonFavourite team in NBA?I dont have a favourite NBA team.Favourite team in NCAA?- Villanova or Memphis, because I like their style of playFavourite basketball player, in NBA and if you have other..Lebron James and Chris PaulFavourite thought?'You miss 100% of the shots you never take'

Lukoil signed Akins and Goldwire - by Vladi LazarovaTwo new American players landed in the team of Bulgarian champion and National Cup holderLukoil Akademik. Toni Akins (180-G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Georgia Tech) came first and already played two games with 'The Students'. He scored 14 points and dished 7 assists for 31 minutes in the starting lineup against Latvian Barons Riga, but Lukoil lost at home for the 3rd time this season in Eurocup 75:88. In the same time Akademik won another easy match in the National basketball league, after smashing CSKA Sofia 96:75. Akins, who was signed on a rush to substitute run away at home in Las Vegas Kevin Kruger (188-G-83, college: UNLV), finished with 17 points and 7 assists for 30 minutes.To watch the game in the crowd was and the brand new 'student' Leemire Goldwire (180-G-84, college: Charlotte). 180 cm tall guard arrived from Greece, where he cut the contract with Egaleo due to financial crisis in the club. 24-years old Goldwire joined Lukoil to help Akins and to try to move the team from the disappointing last place in Group B of the tournament. 'The Students' are 0-3 in Europe this autumn, after losing from UNIKS Kazan at home, against Dinamo in Moscow and in front of their home fans from Barons Riga. Goldwire will make his debute on Tuesday, when Bulgarian squad will play away game in Latvian capital. Also the club will ink Leemire for the National league.

Lukoil: more changes after Christmas - by Vladi LazarovaLukoil Akademik will keep on changing the roster, no matter it's too late to save chances to qualify for the next round in Eurocup.'The Students' are at the last 4th position in Group B with three consecutive losses: from Russian UNIKS Kazan at home, Dinamo in Moscow and Latvian Barons Riga at home again. This Tuesday Bulgarian champion and National Cup holder will play away in Latvian capital and after New Year will host Dinamo in 'Universiada' arena in Sofia.Akademik already changed four guards in the team this autumn. The club decided to part ways with Antonio Burks (183-G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Memphis) only a week before the first game in Europe, because the player didn't fit tactically to the team. Lukoil signed at his place Kevin Kruger (188-G-83, college: UNLV). The last one couldn't adapt to his new place of living and decided to go home in Las Vegas only two weeks after his arriving. Kruger played two games in Eurocup against UNIKS Kazan and Dinamo and left his teammates just three days before hosting Barons Riga. Against Latvian best squad, 'The Students' signed on a rush their 3rd US playmaker this season Toni Akins (180-G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Georgia Tech) and after him the club announced another one foreignerLeemire Goldwire (180-G-84, college: Charlotte). He will make his debute this Tuesday in Riga.'You will see more changes after Christmas. The players who will be at the practice on 28th December, will stay in the team till the rest of the season and not only this season', said Sasho Vezenkov, sports director of Lukoil yesterday.His words came on time just to confirm some rumours about the roster of the most expensive club in the country. Most dangerous now, for sure, will be for the best paid import and domestic players, who didnt give their best, or didnt satisfied the officials of the team with what they show on the court.No matter Vezenkov refused to talk with names, its more than clear now, that for Bulgarian league Lukoil will not keep the same expensive squad, will cut at least two of the current stars of the roster, or keep some of them with lower salaries, and fight to defend the title and the cup with young Bulgarian players.

Skyrockets will open season vs. the Chicago Steam - by Gianni PascucciThe Minot Skyrockets announced changes to the upcoming season's schedule. The Skyrockets will play their first two season games against the Chicago Steam of the American Basketball Association Dec. 17-18. The location of the games was not specified yet. The CBA also confirmed that the CBA will play interleague games with the ABA teams starting tomorrow through Jan. 15. The three CBA teams involved in interleague games are Minot, Albany and East Kentucky.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

NBL Round: 17 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket NewsProstejov - Opava 82-66Prostejov got closer to the second-ranked Geofin in the ladder as they defeated Opava at home today. Hurl Beechum knocked down 20 points to lead the hosts. Shaun Pruitt added 14 points and 11 boards for the winners. Ondrej Soska answered with 22 points and 8 boards for Opava.

Ostrava - USK Praha 80-76Ostrava secured the fifth win in the season as they rallied past USK Praha. Shawan Robinson fired 28 points and made 4 steals for the home team. Artur Mielczarek contributed 17 points for the winners. Lawrence Hamm managed 21 points for USK Praha in the loss.

Podebrady - Liberec 97-72Podebrady cruised past Liberec in the round. It was just the fifth success for the Stanislav Petr team. Pavel Benes chipped in 23 points and collected 9 rebounds for the winning team. Maurice Hampton answered with 24 points for Liberec.

Pardubice - Geofin 88-73Geofin failed to get closer to the the league-leading Nymburk. They visited Pardubice and came up short at the end. David Steffel exploded with 27 points and 12 boards for Pardubice. Virginijus Sirvydis added 21 points for the victors. Emanuel Ubilla netted 23 points in the losing effort.

Anaheim - Reno 114-106Cedric Bozeman paced Anaheim Arsenal to second victory of the season collecting 29 points and 5 rebounds. James White also was good netting 23, while Tierre Brown had 2 points less than him. Antonio Meeking nailed 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Reno Bighorns (1-4).

Idaho - Los Angeles 100-93Fifth victory for Idaho Stampede in six appearances. On the other side, LA D-Fenders faced with fourth failure also in six games. Luke Jackson shined for the winners with 24 points. Jamaal Tatum posted 22, while Jermareo Davidson added 20 points and 14 rebounds. Joe Crawford and Dwayne Mitchell collected 51 points and 10 boards for the hosts.

Colorado - Austin 108-133Austin Toros scored 133 points, what was way more than enough for the victory against the Colorado 14ers. The hosts had 4 players with more than 20 points. The leading one was Anthony Tolliver, who nailed 30 and also grabbed 6 rebounds. Jame Mays answered with double-double for the 14ers, 24 points and 10 rebs. Toros 4-3, 14ers 3-1.

It was a fifth victory in a row for Estonian team and moved them to 2nd place in BBL Elite Division standings. Nate Fox (206-F-77, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Maine) led Kalev/Cramo with 28 points and 8 rbs.

The hosts led from the very first minute when Kevin Lyde (206-C-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Temple) and Gregor Arbet made it 4:0. Siauliai had no answer to hosts offence as Kalev led 17:9 with 5:20 played. Gediminas Maceina (188-G-84) had made 5 turnovers, already, three of them were forced by Elite Division leading stealer John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence). Altogether, Siauliai made 11 (!!!) turnovers in 1st quarter.

Kalev/Cramo led 27:15 after 1st quarter, Nate Fox had scored as many points as the whole team of Siauliai. Kalev/Cramo had made 22 shots, Siauliai only 8.

A 10:0 run in 2nd qrt put the hosts up 37:20. Kalev then missed 6 shots in a row and the guests climbed closer 37:26 but then Kalev silenced the opponents again, wining the first half 41:26. Fox had 15, Lyde 11 points. After the halftime break, Siauliai had re-borned. Their zone defence made the hosts toothless. Andrius Slezas (200-F-75) and Virginijus Praskevicius (206-C/F-74) combined 6 three-pointers (the guests scored 7 triples in whole game) and Siauliai came from minus-17 to minus-3. Kalev led 62:59 with 10 minutes to play.

4th quarter was a time for revenge as Kalev made a 18:0 run in seven minutes and came away with a firm victory.

Besides Fox, Kalev had outstanding performance from Kevin Lyde (19 pts) and John Linehan (6 pts, 8 ast, and 8 steals!). Andrius Slezas led Siauliai with 19 pts but the whole team made 25 turnovers.<<>><<>>

Korisliiga, Round 17: When FoKoPo (Forssa) defeated today YMCA Lahti 92-79 (40-39), it means, that there are four Teams on the Top, when The Christmas break has started. Kataja (Joensuu), Kouvot (Kouvola), YMCA Lahti and KTP (Kotka) have all record 12-5 right now. FoKoPo's three American Players (Charles Thomas (203-F-86, college: Arkansas), Ray Cunningham (199-F-79, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Murray St.), Vincent Hunter (208-F-84, college: Arkansas)) combined 70 out of 92 pts and Team management can be satisfied once again. In Porvoo hosting Tarmo scored 111 pts, but even that was not enough for the victory. Visitor Kataja (Joensuu) scored + 8 pts = 119 pts and 230 pts in one game is season best in Finland. DeWayne Richardson (202-F-77, college: Fairmont St.) led Tarmo with 31 pts and 11 rbs. The league leading scorer Jeremiah Wood (200-F-85, agency: Court Side) (Kataja) had this time 26 pts and 11 rbs.

Tarmo - Kataja 111-119Kataja used the loss of the league leaders Lahti to reach them in the ladder. Kataja prevailed over Tarmo in a high-octane battle on the road. Jeremiah Wood stepped up with 26 points and 11 boards for the winners. Anssi Kinnaslampi had 25 points in the victory. Tarmo slipped at 3-14 record despite 31 points and 11 boards from DeWayne Richardson. Steve Barnes had 24 points in the losing effort.

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GERMANY

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Paralyze The Flight of The EWE Baskets Oldenburg Thunderbirds 84 to 53 - by Miles Schmidt-ScheuberMost were anticipating a close battle, but instead The Deutsche Bank Skyliners gave their home crowd an early Christmas present with a rout of the EWE Baskets Oldenburg 84 to 53. Oldenburg looked nothing like a flashy thunderbird sports car, but moreover like a tired and crippled old fashioned car that grannys drive right before retirement. This was a performance where even the toughest Skyliner critic coach Murat Didin had very little negative to say, if any at all.'Today nothing was individually made, but moreover this was a production by the factory Deutsche Bank Skyliners. We dominated the game for 40 minutes and that is the result of perfect team Basketball. That was the best win in the last two years for Frankfurt', commented coach Murat Didin . The EWE Baskets Oldenburg had played the most consistent Basketball this season in the BBL, but came into the Ballsporthalle as if the team had just been put together with little functioning on offense or defense.'We had way too many turnovers, missed too many shots and gave up too many offensive rebounds. Anytime when your down by so many on the road, it is really difficult to stage a comeback', stated American Jason Gardner (178-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona). The game also marked the comeback of American Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri), who had been out since late last season due to an injury to his shooting hand. 'I felt good, but was more excited how we played today. I was tired at the end, but all in all I was happy with my performance', said American guard Jimmy McKinney. Not only Skyliner faithful were thrilled about Mckinneys comeback, but also a certain opponent who played college ball with him at Missouri. 'I am happy that Jimmy is back. He played really well', commented American Rickey Paulding (196-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri).

The Frankfurt defense had started well often the last weeks, but then started to lose intensity as time wore on, but against Oldenburg the Frankfurt defense never lost fire, but moreover kept the heat on the opponents especially American Jason Gardner that never found his playmaking rhythm. Frankfurt started quickly going on a 9-2 run showing quickly that they were there for business and not a merry stroll in the park. American Anthony King (206-F/C, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) started the game with a hook shot over the Georgetown legend Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown) and looked like a seasoned veteran dominating on the court, but talked like a school boy in awe of the ex NBA player after the game. 'I think he was a bit surprised I was attempting shots and making them. It was great playing against him. He was a big Georgetown player and I remember watching him on TV. I tried not thinking about the name, but just stayed confident and did my job', stated a joyous Anthony King. Frankfurt continued to dominate inside as American Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City) and King scored. 'I think Anthony King was a big reason for the win. He dominated the paint and he is the reason why we played so hard. His good start sparked us to play even harder', said Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.).

German National player Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton) added a three pointer. Boumtje Boumtje made two more free throws to cut the Frankfurt lead to 9-4, but there would be no more Oldenburg scoring as Frankfurt finished the quarter on a 9-0 run. Anthony King made another hook shot over Boumtje Boumtje, Wysocki a lay up in the lane and Ilian Evtimov with a running hook shot. Oldenburg was simply no endangerment on defense as Frankfurt w as finding many holes in the zone and getting easy points. The Frankfurt defense was aggressive and not letting Oldenburg find a rhythm and often disrupting their plays early which led to turnovers. The difference in stats after one quarter was like day and night as Frankfurt was shooting 50% from the field and Oldenburg a docile 9%. Frankfurt was henpecking the rebounds 14-3.'They are the highest scoring team in the league and we held them to four points. From that standpoint, we knew we would have good chances to win', commented Ilian Evtimov.The scoring clinic of The Deutsche Bank Skyliners continued in the second quarter and the poor shooting and overall lack luster play of The EWE Baskets Oldenburg continued. Last season, it would have been unthinkable to keep American Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi) out of the starting lineup or abstain from his double doubles, but this season, Frankfurt has the luxury of a deep bench, so inserting Allen to start the second quarter was no problem. 'I am not angry about the less playing time. Every guy is contributing and all are happy', said American Derrick Allen. After Allen scored on a lay up, the Ballsporthalle got loud as Jimmy McKinney answered and scored on a coast to coast run and layup. Oldenburg continued to have little flow in their offense and when they did get in the zone, they rarely scored. Frankfurt played smart, for example as Evtimov grabed a rebound and quickly made a touchdown pass to Mckinney for another layup. Evtimov followed with a turnaround/fadeaway jumper that continues to ask the question if he has any secret Kevin Mchale(Boston Celtic legend) videos hidden somewhere. 'No, I really have no Kevin Mchale videos. My idol as a kid was Drazan Petrovic and I watched him on highlight film, but a guy I would watch hours and hours on video was Pete Maravich', expressed Ilian Evtimov.

Frankfurt kept the intensity on offense, but also never let up on defense as Anthony King came up with huge blocks. Down the stretch, Frankfurt handcuffed Oldenburg going on a 4-0 flash run as Evtimov scored another turn around jumper and King made a heads up steal under the Oldenburg hoop and scored. Frankfurt led 39-13 and at this point Oldenburg coach Predrag Krunic was wondering who had stolen his thunderbirds wings. At halftime, Frankfurt led comfortably 42 to 16. The biggest problem now might not have been by how much Frankfurt would win by, but how they would finish the game mentally. 'Our biggest problem coming into the second half was staying focused and not allowing individualism to creep into our game', stated Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak . Frankfurt was shooting a thunderous 60% from the field while Oldenburg managed only 24%. Oldenburg had a big 0% from three point land and Frankfurt only 29%. Frankfurt kept the rebounding supremacy 24 to 9. 'Oldenburg shot really bad and we did a good job taking Jason Gardner out of the game. They had no clear systems running and everything went over Rickey Paulding. We took them apart in the first half and they couldnt come back in the second half', said captain Pascal Roller (180-G-76).

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners kept their intensity in the third quarter as Oldenburg returned with no remedy or plan how to get back into the game. Frankfurt continued to be everywhere on the court, making steals or making second chances on the offensive boards. At times, it seemed that Oldenburg were mentally and physically somewhere else, possibly back on the court in Jerusalem. 'We didnt have the best schedule this week. We were tired from the Jerusalem game, had two stricken players and our rotation was short', expressed Oldenburg Serb Jasmin Perkovic (203-F-80, agency: Court Side). Frankfurt held the lead, while Oldenburg had a strong Rickey Paulding who scored in stretches. With Frankfurt leading 52 to 24, the team shifted up a gear went on an 8-2 run as Ilian Evtimov dropped two consecutive three pointers and Frankfurt led 60 to 26. Oldenburg was able to cut the lead a bit down the stretch of the third quarter as they went on a 10-3 run. German Daniel Strauch (206-C-81) hit a three pointer, Jason Gardner a lay up on the fast break and Boumtje Boumtje a layup. Frankfurt still lead 64-41. Frankfurt was shooting a high 54%,while Oldenburg a lame 34%. Oldenburg was still a no show from the three point line at 19%. Frankfurt was out duelling Oldenburg under the boards 33-19. 'We are usually a better rebounding team, but we didnt do a good job today. Some days we rebound great, while other days worse. It is impossible to rebound well in each game', described Jasmin Perkovic.

As the fourth quarter commenced, even the biggest Skyliner critic most likely had no thoughts about losing, but moreover if the 90 or 100 point barrier would be reached. Frankfurt continued to control the game as coach Didin continued to have the deluxe of being able to put in many fresh legs into the game when ever he wanted to. After a long while, American Lorenzo Gordon came back into the game and he continued where King had left off scoring against Boumtje Boumtje. Whereas the Skyliner machine was still working overtime, the Oldenburg offense was still looking for some one to turn it on as it was too slow with little movement. Oldenburg coach Predrag Krunic soon understood that a win would be very difficult as time kept clicking away, so he took out starter Jason Gardner and inserted little used 23 year old German Danial Hain, who tried to find openings in the Sklyiner defesne and often found them. Just when Boumtje Boumtje thought he had seen enough of Gordon and King, in came American Greg Jenkins (206-F/C-82, college: Iona), who did a great job scoring 11 points in six minutes. 'I am a bit surprised how easy we won. I am happy with my game. I hope I can play more in the future and just continue to contributed', stressed American center Greg Jenkins. In a matter of minutes, Jenkins scored seven consecutive Skyliner points giving Frankfurt the 80-52 lead. Krunic also put in little used German Marco Buljevic (197-G-87, agency: Court Side), who couldnt turn anything around, but at least got some valuable playing time, which hasnt been the case so much this season. In the end, Frankfurt won 84 to 53 and really took apart most possibly the most consistent team in the BBL. However thoughts about a BBL title are still far away. 'It is a bit early to talk championship. We are happy we won so easily. The great thing is that we never had a real letdown in this game', stated Pascal Roller

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners race up to position three with the win and are exactly where they want to be at this point of the season in the thick of things. They dominated the stats shooting a strong 53% from the field as Oldenburg showed with their 33% that they need to stay extra after practice this week to shoot shoot shoot. Frankfurt didnt hit very effective from three point land at 37%, but the lifeless 18% shooting of Oldenburg could bring coach Krunic sleepless nights. Frankfurt did a fantastic job controlling the boards 39 to 24 and the 20 turnovers by Oldenburg was the formula of a continued aggressive defense that has been giving opponents splitting agony in the past weeks. 'We never let them find their rhythm on offense in the first half. We were a bit relaxed in the second half, but it is normal that they would make some shots. They are a talented team', warned Ilian Evtimov. The successful play by The Deutsche Bank Skyliners continue to make life beautiful for coach Murat Didin as they continue to play smart team Basketball. The Skyliner good luck charm Titus Ivory is a guy that the team needs to keep on board until the rest of the season, because since his arrival, the team has won 11 of 14 games and seem to be on fire. Frankfurt has a very deep bench and now the question remains, what is possible with this team? 'This is a scary team in the sense that it is very good. We could become one of the top teams that Frankfurt ever had. We need to stick together and play good defense the rest of the way', warned Jimmy McKinney. This win added additional self confindence for the next Eurochallenge game against BC Kalev on Tuesday December 16th at 19:30 in the Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt.

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GREECE

Zalgiris feeds the Greek teams with players - by Serafim KaraiskakisThe first is Willie Deane (186-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Purdue) who recently left from Lithuania and heading back to Greece to play for Maroussi. The Usa guard played in the past for Ilysiakos Athens (26 games: 18.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.9apg, 1.4spg). The coach in Marousi was not happy with the perfomance of William Keys and from last week was looking in the market for a new player.

Tadas Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency: Interperformances) will be the second player from Zalgiris that may come here if they let him free after the end of the first phase in Euroleague. Paok is waiting him, coach Kalafatakis knows him well and believes he will help the team more than Dejan Tomasevic.

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HOLLAND

PromotieDivisie Scores week 11: Close calls and Blowouts - by Terry CooperThe Promotie is beginng to heat up as the week 11 showed once again that the road to the playoffs is not out of range for some teams. The Red Giants kept the Cangeroes winless the won on the road 58-54. EJ/MyGuide2 had a hard time against VBC Akrides winning 68-62 as Akrides played without Richard Foekens (190-G-81) who stopped due to personal reasons. GOBA won convincinly over De Groene Uilen 71-50 while Punch won on the road over Landstede2 86-83. Leiden2 defeated BV Rooi 87-55 at home while Intl High Five won over EBBC2 64-56. Finally, MSV Log in got things back in order winning over a very big and physical Pigeons team at home 96-65. The Pigeons came out strong to take an early lead in the first quarter but the experience of MSV was too much for the second year promotiedivisie team. MSV was lead by Jard Schuit(15pts/7 rebs) which provided a scoring charge for Log in and catapulted MSV to the win. With two games remaining in the first part of the season, some teams have gotten things together in preparation for the return section of the schedule. The race is still close for the top 8 or 9 teams to make the difference on who will represent in the playoffs that are not too far away. Stay tuned!!! PromotieDivisie Stats Now!!!

Round 10, friday's games - by Tamas DeriGeorge Banks (202-C/F-72, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: UTEP) was unstopable again - 35 points, 13 rebounds and 11 fouls against - and lead his team Kormend to the 5th victory in row. Coach Hencsey has been having a great sucess with his team until now Kormend got back into the top 4.

Sopron could win in Debrecen, the new head coach, Peter Fodor did not have a great debut with his new team. The guests were lead by the foreigners, all of them could score in double figures!

Christensen joined the team earlier in November, after receiving his naturalization in Jordan.

Malloy arrived in Amman on December 4 to get ready for the International Dubai Tournament.

As part of its preparation for Dubai, Zain went to Beirut for training camp. Malloy and teammates played two games since they arrived in Lebanon on December 9. They won the first one against Sagesse and lost the second against Al Riyadi.

The camp aims at helping the team gel together, especially its new additions, Christensen, Malloy and others.

Christensen has just started his career overseas. The 23-year-old forward out of New Hampshire is open to new experiences with Zain.

'I just want to do whatever they need me to do,' Mike said. 'I just listen to Coach [Mario] Palma and go from there'.

Malloy, on the other hand, has had some experience in the Middle East, having played the previous season for Antranik of Lebanon, and the beginning of this season for Muharraq of Bahrain.

For the 6'10 center, playing in the Middle East has helped him adapt to certain aspects of life in the area.

'As far as basketball, this is the game that was brought up to play', Malloy said. 'What helps is that, [playing in the Middle East], you adapt to the style of play they have in this region'.

Christensen, a talented player who can fill out positions 1 to 4, will be occupying the small forward spot on the star-studded Zain team, while Malloys job will be paint-oriented.

Whether Jordanian or American, all share one goal for the season winning in Dubai.

My personal goal is winning the Dubai tournament, Malloy said.

For the twentieth time, the glamorous city of Dubai will be hosting the Dubai International Tournament between December 20 and 27, 2008.

In addition to Zain, nine other teams from five countries will fight for the right to be crowned champions.

Al Sahels Floor General Rickey Huckaby means Business!! - by Corey WashingtonAl Sahel's floor general Rickey Huckaby (188-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) means business! Huckaby is earning respect in Kuwait as one of the top guards in the league.. Heading into his second season since Texas A&M Kingsville, Huckaby has put up some impressive numbers, scoring 38pts. against Al Jahara and scorching Al Arabi for 45pts. Huckaby is a Lightning fast combo G, Floor general with great ball handling ability & 40inch vertical. Don't get caught under the basket!!!!! Can flat out shoot from any spot on the floor. With the addition of Justin Allen, looks like Huckaby may get some help in the paint and able to compete against top teams such as;

Al Kuwait Club- Struck oil with veteran Ira Clark and Andre Pitts, the two have been unstoppable this year. Ahmed Al Mutawa gives Kuwait club more options on the floor and a great addition.

Al Jahara Club- With 3 year Vet Cedric Taylor fully recovered from early season injuries, and the addition of defensive stud Jeremy Byrd, Al Jahra would like to enter their name in the 'Quest for Best'

With all the new additions in Kuwait this year, the season is sure to be exciting.<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Walferdange, LuxembourgResidence(2-8) jumped out to a 21-18 first quarter lead, the fell apart defensively the rest of the game giving up nearly 30 points in the each of the last 3 quarters of play. Residence fouled often and Sparta capitalized at the line where the home team struggled. Larrie Smith (195-F-75, college: Tennessee Tech) had 34 points to lead the DBBL Leaders to their 8th victory of the season. Pivot player Pit Hoffmann played extremely well for Sparta with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Christian Wulff added 18 points, Alejandro Mutombo 11, Laurent Nittler 11 and Julien Hublart 10. Matt Hall (198-F-84, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Harding) scored 33 points for Residence and Sylvain Felten had 10 points. Sparta is still missing Tom Wagner and Jean De Marchi. Sparta hosts Musel Pikes and Residence goes to Racing. Both games are on Saturday, December 12.

Heffingen finally got a win in the DBBL, taking advantage of a struggling Black Star team. Jumping out to a 22-19 first quarter lead, Heffingen hung on in the second stanza, but trailed by 5 at the half. The third quarter brought more good play from Heffignen going into the final quarter up by six. Black Star hit big baskets late to take the game to overtime where Heffingen dominated to hang on for their first win!!! Heffingen's new import, Willie Irick (198-F-84, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Oklahoma City) had 30 points followed by Claude Weyrich with 16 points and Manou Scholtus with 11. Black Star's Billy McDaniel (201-F/C-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: Ark.-Monticello) was unstoppable scoring 41 points. Tuffel had 10 but got no help from the rest of his squad who was missing Dan Norell! Heffingen faces Etzella this evening at home and Black Star goes to Steinsel to face Amicale, also tonight, Saturday, December 13.

Remich, LuxembourgT 71 won an important road game last Sunday aftenoon in Remich to keep its hopes alive to make the playoffs! Musel Pikes drop to 6-4 with the home loss to remain in a tie for third place in the DBBL with 4 other teams: Contern, T71, Black Star and Etzella. The game was very close until the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter when T71 went on a huge run to blow Musel Pikes out 13-3 to take the win. Playing without Samy Picard, Musel Pikes was led by Guy Schmit with 24 points. Laurent Schwartz added 17 points Chris Braier (195-F-84, college: Lawrence) was held to only 8 but took 18 rebounds. Tim Whitworth (198-G/F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Drexel) had 24 points and Martin Rajniak 22 for T71. Both teams showed weakness shooting horribly from the three point line and the free throw line. Next up, T71 must face Contern at home in Dudelange and Musel Pikes goes to Sparta; both games are tonight, Saturday, December 13, 2008.

Raptors - Nets 101-79NY Nets suffered 22-point home defeat vs Toronto Raptors. Visitors had 6 players with 10 or more points. The best one was Chris Bosh with 18, while Jason Kapono and Joey Graham had 16 pts each. The Nets got 14 points from Devin Harris, as well as from Jianlian Yi. Raptors 10-12, Nets 11-10.

Hornets - Celtics 82-94The reigning champion was better than NO Hornets registering the 22nd win this season (22-2). Paul Pierce top-scored for the hosts with 28 points. At the same time he had 6 more rebounds and 6 assists. David West and Chris Paul combined 43 points, 20 boards and 15 assists for the Hornets (12-7).

Pacers - Pistons 110-114Richard Hamilton netted 28 points and dished out 5 assists leading the Detroit Pistons to 12th win. Rodney Stuckey also shined adding 21 points and 8 boards. Danny Granger of Indiana Pacers was totally the best player of this game collecting impressive 42 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Spurs - Timberwolves 98-86Tim Duncan had double-double, 17 points and 13 boards, while Tony Parker was pretty close to do the same, 17 pts and 9 assists. Their SA Spurs now have 14-8 record. Al Jefferson poured in 29 points and grabbed 13 boards for the Timberwolves (4-18).

Bulls - Grizzlies 96-1038-15 for the Grizzlies and 8-12 for the Bulls after this game. Rudy Gay led the scorers in victory with 29 points. Hakim Warrick, who came off the bench, helped with 21 pts and 6 boards. The Bulls got 26 points from Ben Gordon.

Magic - Suns 112-113Phoenix Suns escaped with a tiny home victory against the Orlando Magic jumping on 14-10 record. Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Jason Richardson nailed 21 points each for the hosts. On the other side, Dwight Howard collected 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Rockets - Warriors 119-108Tracy McGrady stepped up for the Rockets missing only one assist for double-double (24 pts, 10 rebs and 9 as for 34 minutes). Ming Yao and Luis Scola nailed 38 points and grabbed 21 boards together. Andris Biedrins came up with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the hosts.

Kings - Lakers 103-112LA Lakers outplayed Sacramento Kings at Staples Center thanks to Kobe Bryant, who collected 32 points and 7 rebounds. John Salmons stepped for the Kings with 26 points, 4 rebs and 6 assists, but it was not enough in this game. Lakers 19-3, Kings 6-17.

76ers - Cavaliers 72-88LeBron James again was on high level pacing his Cleveland Cavs to 20th victory of the season. This time LeBron nailed 28 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. The team of the head coach Henry Bibby got 19 pts from Willie Green. 76ers now have 9-14.

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PORTUGAL

LPB Round: 9 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket NewsBenfica - Ovarense 89-73Benfica posted the 13th straight win in the LPB season. This time the league leaders accounted for Ovarence in Lisboa. Sergio Ramos knocked down 22 points to lead the way for Benfica. Diogo Carreira added 17 points and 6 assists for the winners. Rolan Roberts answered with 21 points for Ovarense as they fell at 10-3 record.

VSC Guimar. - Porto Ferpinta 65-63Guimaraes eked out a narrow victory over Porto Ferpinta to improve at 7-6 record. Julian Blanks knocked down 21 points to lead the charge. Louis Graham added 13 points in the victory. Christian Burns netted 21 points for Porto Ferpinta as the team appeared tied with Gimaraes in the ladder.

Ginasio - Fisica 83-69Ginasio fired down Fisica for the sixth win in the championship. Jose Costa was responsible for 21 points and 7 assists in the win. John Torson contributed 15 points, while Ajay Calvin finished with 17 for the winners. Fisica responded with game-high 27 points from Jason Davis.

A Superleague Round: 9 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket NewsDynamo M. - Triumph 93-79Dynamo Moscow overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to stun Triumph at home court. Bostjan Nachbar tallied 27 points and 12 boards to lead the way for David Blatt team. Jannero Pargo added 13 points and 8 assists for the winners. Nenad Krstic answered with 18 points and 9 boards for Triumph as they suffered the fifth loss in the championship.

Spartak SP - Krasnoyarsk 82-73Spartak Saint Petersburg caught up with Unics at the fourth spot in the table. Today Spartak outscored Krasnoyarsk for the fifth win in the tournament. Andrew Wisniewski knocked down 19 points, dished out 8 assists and 6 boards for Spartak. Yegor Meshcharakou and Zakhar Pashutin added 16 points each for the winning side. Kevin Fletcher answered with 18 points for Enisey. Fred Warrick and Denis Beljaev answered with 11 points each in the loss.

Khimky - CSK VVS 79-59Khimky rolled past CSK VVS at home court. It was the seventh victory for the Moscow Region team as they remained in the second spot in the table. Carlos Delfino nailed 17 points for the winners. Nikita Shabalkin added 11 points for Khimky. Sergei Demeshkin responded with 15 points for Samara.

Univ.Surgut - Ural Great 86-82Universitet-Yugra eked out a narrow win over Ural Grat and improved at 2-5 record. Lionel Chalmers exploded with 35 points o lead the Surgut team. Nikola Lepojevic contributed 18 points for the winning side. Fedor Likholitov answered with 20 points and 9 rebounds for Ural Great in the loss.

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SLOVENIA

Zlatorog hold fifth opponent under 60 points (Round 11) - by Zeljko ZuleUPC League - Round 11: Zlatorog-Zagorje 91-58: Zlatorog in second quarter made a 24-1 run and fifth time in a season hold their opponent under 60 points. Miguel Berdiel 19 of his 24 points scored before the half and handed 8 assists and Ante Masic collected 15 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Zagorje in first half commited 16 turnovers. Joshua Johnson finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds and David Paris scored 11 points.Alpos Sentjur-Epic Misel 74-59: Alpos, who never trailed, opened the game with 11 straight points. Takais Brown (203-F-86, college: SE Illinois JC) netted 24 points on shooting 10-of-23 and grabbed 16 rebounds and Dean Dunovic added 12 points. Epic Misel was outrebounded 25-46. Bojan Jovanovic posted 21 points on shooting 5-of-6 from 3-point range, David Moro had 13 points. Luka Koper-Hopsi 82-80: Ivan Drzic scored 19 points, Denis Toroman 17 and Jernej Mihalic hit a pair of game-winning free throw while Shawn King had 24 points for Hopsi. TCG Mercator-Elektra Esotech 64-70: Elektra trailed only at 0-2, lead as many as 15 points at the end of the first quarter and get first road win of the season. Dejan Cup had 16 points and 9 rebounds before he fouled out, Luka Sjekloca collected 15 points and 9 rebounds and Nikola Ivanovic added14 points. With the loss, TCG Mercator extended their losing streak to four games. The team has also dropped sixe of their last seven games. Simon Finzgar, Mirko Mulalic and Mensud Julevic scored 15 points apiece.

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SWITZERLAND

Fribourg Wins! - by Jay GadsdenFribourg handed Vacallo their first loss of the season tonight in emphatic fashion, with a 86-59 win in front of a raucus home crowd. With the win Fribourg pulls into sole position of second place in the table, and edges ever so close to Vacallo, making a major statement that they are here to win the LNA.

Vacallo fell behind early on, and could never catch up. The Fribourg squad looked quicker and more focused from the opening tip, and rarely led by under double digits all night long.

Both teams are back in action next weekend, playing their last games before the Christmas break.

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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

UTT and Diego Martin wins in Super10 - by Don FarrellKENYATTA ALFRED scored 27 points and Miguel Sansavour added 22 for University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) who stopped Calendonia Clippers 110-71 in the 2008 Stag Super 10 Basketball League (SBL) at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex, Port of Spain, on Wednesday night.

In the first game of the night's double-header, Alfred, who recently campaigned with back-to-back champions Detour Shak Attack in the North Zone season, and Sansavour proved too much for the opposition at both ends of the court in the one-way traffic encounter.

In addition to their exploits at the offensive ends of the court, Alfred (five) and Sansavour (ten) combined for 15 rebounds.

Shawn Lawrence also had seven rebounds plus a dozen points as the youthful UTT outfit outclassed their rivals in all departments from the get-go, under the direction of American coach Terry Layton.

Kern George chipped in with ten points to round off a healthy four-player double-digit scorecard for the Wallerfield-based team, who were making their debut on the local basketball circuit.

Caledonia Clippers, who felt the pain of their most potent player Brendon Dennis being drafted by the Defence Force, managed to have three players scoring in excess of ten points.

Casey Belgrave led the way in Dennis's absence with 17 points and six rebounds, while Shorn Solomon completed a double-double by netting 17 points and collecting ten boards, and big Roland Sylvester added 14 points and six rebounds.

In the second contest of the evening, last year's beaten finalists Mirak Stars also felt the departure of Derrick Boxhill to Defence Force on the back of his 27 points in his side's opening win on Monday against Valencia Heat.

Doing the job for Diego Martin were Curwin Blades with 18 points and seven rebounds and Gershwin Duncan, who posted 17 points and a triple in rebounds.

For Mirak, Kevin Sergeant top-scored with 19 points and four off the glass, Glenford Nurse chipped in with a nice effort of 14 points, nine rebounds and a handful of steals, while Devon Waddell pitched in with a dozen points and also four rebounds as they got accustomed to life without reliable forward Boxhill.

The game was evenly-matched until the final five minutes of the last session of play.

Earlier in the affair, Diego Martin All Stars forced two quick turnovers and scored six unanswered points, which pushed them to a 66-58 lead with less than four minutes to play.

They never looked back from that position to win comfortably by eight points.

Superleague Round: 11 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket NewsBC Donetsk - Khimik 90-59Donetsk strengthen their position in the ladder as they cruised past Khimik in the key matchup of the round. Milutin Aleksic showed he did not need much time to adjust in Donetsk scoring 22 points and grabbing 6 boards to lead the hosts. Haywood Owens added 17 points and 7 boards for the winners as they climbed at 7-4 record. Khimik on the contrary suffered the seventh loss in 11 games. Sasa Bratic led the visitors with 11 points and 5 boards.

BC Kyiv - Poltava 95-75BC Kyiv overwhelmed Poltava in the capital to stay on top of the table. Artur Drozdov fired 26 points, while Kenan Bajramovic added 19 in the 10th victory for BC Kyiv. Ricky Clemons scored 17 points and distributed 5 assists for Poltava, who led by 7 points at halftime.

Sumykhimpr. - Pulsar 84-81Sumykhimprom held off Pulsar to jump into the fourth spot in the standings. Brian Greene knocked down 21 points and grabbed 7 boards for the winning team. Abdullahi Kuso added 18 points for Sumy. Pavel Ulyanko answered with 26 points for Pulsar in the loss.

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URUGUAY

The government took the control of the Uruguayan basketball - by Hector LopezThe Uruguayan government decided to intervene the Federacion Uruguaya de Basketball, replacing the president Luis A. Castillo, it was officially announced by the FUBB. The government took this action saying the last elections, won by Castillo with 36 votes out of 40 (90%), were not carried according to the FUBB laws. Castillo was first elected in 2002 by 42 votes out of 44. Nobody was named yet to replace Castillo who is also one of the vicepresidents for the Asociacion Sudamericana de Basketball. All the activities were carried normally yesterday, but the League decided to stoo activities from next Monday.

Coach Wolfgang Lucena has been dedicated countless hours to get improving the new generation of basketball players. In Venezuela, coach Lucena is part of few basketball organizations where he puts many hours along with other basketball coaches as Silverio Leal, Luis Teran, Giovanni Fraino, Johnny Rodriguez, Alberto Jimenez to have youth basketball players get better as students and athletes. In the United States of America, coach Lucena has the opportunity to help international and local players to joint high School, College and Universities because their sports skills. 2008-2009 NCAA and high School basketball season is about to start, many colleges, high school and universities should be grateful for Coach Wolfgang Lucena's help. Institutions as; Eastern Oklahoma State College, North Easter Oklahoma A&M College, Florida International University, Dowling College, Cisco College, New Mexico Junior College, Odessa College, Patterson School, St Benedict's Prep, Our Savior New American School, Miles Community College, are witness of this.So far students-athletes as; Keving Palacios (203-F/C-84, college: S.Carolina), David Cubillan (183-G-87), Mirna Araujo (183-F-87), Yesi Castillo (175-F, college: E.Oklahoma St. JC), Eilyn Flores (186-C-83), Gerardo Suero (Dominican Republic), Ranier Moquete (Dominican Republic), Tulio Cobos (197-C-86), Enrique Cova (190-G-88),Kenji Urdaneta (188-G-85, college: E.Oklahoma St. JC), Jorge Parra (206-C-84), Roselis Silva (-G-90), Heberto Guanipa (202-C-90), Elvis Baez, Gustavo Leon, Jonathan Sanchez, Christopher Torralva, Carlos Berroteran (202-C-89), Alejandro Flores (202-F-81college: E.Oklahoma St. JC), Hector Aguilar, Jose Rafael Gonzalez, Rostin Gonzalez (-F-90), Angel Castro (Dominican Republic), Baron Perez (Dominican Republic/USA), Michelle Gonzalez (Puerto Rico), Maria Prochascua (Argentina) can see their dreams came true, thanks to coach Wolfgang Lucena.This November of 2008, coach Wolfgang Lucena will be meeting at North Carolina with Julio Subero president of FIBA AMERICAS, Osiris Duquela (Dominican Republic Basketball), Pedro Pablo Perez (Dominican Republic and USA Basketball), and Gustavo Leon. All of them are coming along to USA to support coach Lucena to make his youth athletes helping activity stronger for the near future.

'Education is one of my strongest motivations to do what I do. To accomplish this, our young people must accept and enjoy the level of play of their current skills. They must love the game and want to work hard at practice and study more.' Coach Wolfgang Lucena

New People, not more from the same - by Carlos SantanderEverything looks like thirty five years as coach, between amateur and professional basketball, weren't good enough for the ego of Jesus Cordovez to try to puts his name over everybody in Venezuela. Normally, the person whom haven't been too successful with his assignments, should be removed from his position or job and give the opportunity to some one else to take over it. This is the case. When the Venezuela Basketball Federation's president decides to remove out Jesus Cordoves from his position of the federation's coaching staff, he begun to attack Carmelo Cortez's managements.Why he didn't complain before or while he had incomes from FVB? Now he wants to come out with a recycle group and with a fiction European project trying to show him as a superhero. He is better known as the worst talking person when he is removed from his jobs. He thinks that nobody is good, but himIts truth, Basketball in Venezuela is passing thru a transition, also is understandable that Carmelo Cortez is not suppose to be the president of the federation forever, but Venezuela's Basketball need new and honest people. Opening free elections could be a good idea. There are many Venezuelan that have been trying, since many years ago, being part of the federation, being listened or at least have the chance to share their ideas with them, but this fact, never has been possible because the federation belong to a group and Jesus Cordoves is part of them.Venezuela has 22 states, more than 26 millions of habitants, lets don't mistake once again we need NEW PEOPLE in the Venezuela Basketball Federation.

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Women News

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FINLAND - Women

D1 Round: 15 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket NewsPeKa - S-Hameen. 95-81Peka celebrated the ninth win in the season as they shot down Team S-Hameenmaa at home. Shanika Freeman and Sherida Triggs scored 22 points to lead the home team to the triumph. Dionne Pounds added 17 points for the winners. S-Hameenmaa were not rescued by game-high 40 points and 8 boards from Jazz Covington.

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JUCO - Women

Jefferson College is on top - by Eurobasket NewsJefferson College extended their impressive start to the season as they handled Rend Lake CC. Toya Johnson scored 19 points to lead Jefferson to the 13th straight win in the season. Denae Beavers added 17 points for the top-ranked team in the win. Porsha Porter tallied 15 points in an 80:58 success. However NJCAA All-American Danielle Adams was the real hero for Jefferson as she notched 19 points and 14 boards. Central Arizona College earned the second spot in the poll as they improved at 9-0 record. Central Arizona accounted for 128:52 in the most recent game. The defending Division I champions Gulf Coast CC is ranked third at 12-0 record. The Lady Commodores knocked down Seminole 89:47 in the last game played. Angie Felton secured 17 points for the winners. Chimere Jordan contributed 14 points, while Andrea Smith chipped in 12 for Gulf Coast in the win. The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith grabbed the 14th straight win in the season. They toppled Northern-Oklahoma College 87:77 behind 17 points from Marisha Brown (5'9''-G) for the record. Jawanda Duffy knocked down 14 points for the Lady Lions. Deeva Vaughn answered with 20 points for the Lady Jets in defeat.

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NAIA - Women

Union register the 13th straight win - by Eurobasket NewsThe Union University stayed on top position in all the ranks. They overcame Lyon College 92:42 to improve at 13-0 record. Kaitlin Dudley (5'10''-G) scored 20 points to lead the charge for the Lady Bulldogs. Zeinab Chan (6'4''-F) contributed 16 points for the winners. Lauren Ramsey answered with 13 points for Lyon. Rakeishia Perry scored 17 points and grabbed 10 boards to propel Freed-Hardeman past Lambuth 70:60. The win marked an 8-4 record for Freed-Hardeman in the season. The Lady Lions in the meantime suffered just the second loss in the season. The Lady Eagles got to a brave start in the game as they piled up a 33:25 advantage at halftime. However Lambuth opened the second half with an 11:4 rally to close the gap. However it was just the right time for Perry to step up. She knocked down 11 of her teams 14 points and Fred-Hardeman cleared off to a 9-point cushion late in the game. The Lady Lions never rebounded and hod to surrender at the end. Meribeth Boehler (6'2''-F) nailed 14 points for Fred-Hardeman. Tara Deatheridge (5'6''-G) added 12 points for the winners. Yolanda Johnson responded with 13 points for Lambuth in defeat. Vanguard is ranked second as they improved at 7-1 record beating Biola 81:78. Diana Neves scored 25 points to lead the winners. Lauren Gregory (6'1''-F) produced 17 points for Vanguard. Biola replied with 17 points from Jennifer French.

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NCAA1 - Women

Auburn, North Carolina and Kansas State among undefeated - by Eurobasket NewsAuburn enjoy onn of the best records so far in the NCAA season as they won 10 straight games. They lead the Southeastern Conference at the moment. Lately the Tigers had to overcome a one-point deficit against Liberty to deliver a tough 64:53 win at the end. Sherell Hobbs (5'11''-G-86) came up with 20 points to lead the charge for Auburn. DeWanna Bonner (6'4''-G-87) added 17 points for the winners. Moriah Frazee (6'3''-F-87) answered with 14 points and 7 boards for Liberty as slipped at 1-6 record. North Carolina posted nine victories in a row at the start. The most recent win was against Western Carolina 90:56. Cetera Degraffenreid (5'6''-G-88) and Italee Lucas (5'8''-G-89) came up with 14 points each to lead the Tar Heels in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament. Brooke Johnson (6'4''-C) responded with 13 points for the Lady Catamounts. The NCAA reigning champions Tennessee earned 7 wins and dropped just one game at the start. The only loss came from the hands of Virginia and particularly Monica Wright (5'11''-G-88) as she poured in impressive 35 points. Britnee Millner (5'10''-G) converted a free throw with 6 seconds left in regulation to lead the Cavaliers to an 83:82 victory. Briana Bass (5'2''-G-89) and Glory Johnson (6'3''-F-90) answered with 13 points apiece for the Lady Vols. The last seasons finalists Stanford enjoy a 6-1 record early on. Minnesota became the latest victim of the Cardinal as Stanford secured a 68:55 win. Jayne Appel (6'4''-F/C-88) stepped up with 14 points, 9 boards and 5 blocks to lead the way. Kayla Pedersen (6'4''-F) scored 14 points and grabbed 12 boards, while Nnemkadi Ogwumike (6'2''-F-90) had 11 points for the winners. Katie Ohm (5'11''-G-86) responded with 15 points for the Golden Gophers.

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NCAA3 - Women

Top-ranked Kean hold off Messiah - by Eurobasket NewsThe Kean University celebrated the seventh straight win in the season. This time they faced a tough challenge taking on 6th-ranked Messiah College. The Cougars opened the game confidently and grabbed a 17:10 lead early on. But the Falcons soon adjusted to answer with a 9:2 rally for a 19:19 tie. Messiah then accounted for the final six points in the half and led by as many as 3 points 25:22 at the interval. However a 20:4 surge from Kean put them ahead by 13 points midway through the second half. The Falcons refused to bow cutting the deficit to just 3 points with under 3 minutes remaining. But Cardiss Jackman (5'9''-G) and Tiffany Patrick (5'11''-F) sealed the winning outcome for Kean 59:50 at the end. Cardiss Jackman secured 21 points for the winners. Ebony Jackson (5'8''-G) had 13 points and 8 boards for Kean. Silalei Shani (6'2''-F) replied with 11 points and 12 boards for Messiah as they slipped at 5-1 record. UW-Eau Claire pounded UW-Platteville 59:47 for the eighth consecutive win in the tournament. Heidi Arciszewski knocked down 18 points for the Blugolds. Hannah Mesick contributed 10 points in the win. Charity Stotmeister and Stacia Nemitz had 12 points apiece for the Pioneers.

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WNBA - Women

Sancho Lytle is chosen in dispersal draft - by Eurobasket NewsSancho Lyttle (6'4''-C-83, college: Houston) became the first player to be chosen in the WNBA dispersal draft of the Houston Comets players. The four-time WNBA champions had to disband after the failure attempts to find financing and ownership. So Sancho Lyttle was picked by the Atlanta Dream in the dispersal draft. The Dream finished at 4-30 in their debut WNBA season last year. Lyttle averaged 8.2 points and 6.2 boards per game for the Comets last season. Roneeka Hodges (5'11''-G-82, college: Florida St.) will head to Minnesota, Erica White (5'3''-G-86, college: LSU) will join Indiana, Renae Camino (5'10''-G-86) will play for Sacramento, while Phoenix chose Sequoia Holmes (6'1''-F-86, college: UNLV). In the meantime the league decided on the 2009 WNBA Draft order. The Atlanta Dream received the top pick option for the Aprils lottery. The Chicago Sky will choose second, while the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury will follow. The next team to choose will be Indiana, Sacramento, New York, Washington, Connecticut, Detroit and Seattle. The exact dates are still unknown for the Draft.